Fireworks
by myshipsank
Summary: It's the Fourth of July, and of course Emma wants to spend it with Henry, but she is thwarted by Regina. The two butt heads, each one too stubborn to let the other win. But what does winning really look like? Eventual Swan Queen.
1. Chapter 1

**Emma's POV**

I shoved the last bit of my breakfast down followed by a quick swig of coffee before heading for the door.

"Emma? Where are you going?" Mary Margaret called out from the kitchen.

"I'm going to see Henry. It's the Fourth of July, and dammit, I want to spend it with my family," I replied. I shrugged off the jacket before reaffirming my grip on the door handle. It was nice out, so the jacket I'd been wearing would probably be unnecessary.

"That's nice, great even, but what are you going to do if Regina wants to have him today too?" Mary pointed out. I released the door for the second time to turn around and look at Mary. She was trying to look out for me, and I understood that, but I really just wanted to go see Henry.

"She never wants me with him. Plus, I didn't really peg her as the holiday type. To her, today is probably just like any other," I replied. At that, I took hold of the door one more time, this time actually getting it open and out of it.

I considered taking the car to the diner, but it was a nice day, so I decided to walk. I passed a few people on the way and nodded politely at them, but didn't stop to talk. I really wasn't much of a social butterfly anyway, but I had a goal in mind and when that happened, there was no stopping me.

Yesterday I had talked to Henry and told him to meet me at the diner after breakfast so I could talk to him. Yeah, I know it was silly to go to a diner right after eating, but that way I gave Henry a chance to eat with his mom so she wouldn't get suspicious. Plus I thought of it as a nice gesture- you get him some, then I get him some. Sharing. But then again, sharing wasn't really a virtue the mayor seemed to be gifted with. Or maybe she actively chose not to.

When I got to the diner, I saw through the window that Henry was already there, sitting on one of the stools at the bar. I walked in and took a seat next to him. "Emma! I got her like, ages ago to wait for you," Henry greeted me with excitement.

Ruby, who was in the middle of giving Henry an ice-cold lemonade, scoffed. "Seriously? You got here five minutes ago and ordered a lemonade." Henry pouted at that.

"It had to have been at least six minutes," he countered. Ruby gave him a smile and ruffled his hair before leaving the two alone to go help the next customer.

"So what is it? Did something happen? Does it have anything to do with Operation Cobra? Is it my mom? Did she-?" Henry started firing off questions.

"Whoa, slow down, kid. It's nothing like that, I just wanted to spend some time with you; it's the Fourth of July, and that's a time for family," I answered all his questions in one. Henry visibly relaxed and even adopted a smile.

"Does that mean we're going to see Mary Margaret too? And David?" Henry inquired.

I tried not to laugh. Really and truly, the thought that the two of them could be my parents was ridiculous, but it was sweet of Henry to think of them. "Maybe later, but first I thought we could take a walk. Maybe pack a picnic for lunch. How's that sound?"

"That sounds great! Thanks, Emma," Henry responded with enthusiasm.

I smiled at him, taking in every once of his pure excitability, curiosity, and innocent nature. I knew from experience that kids could grow up so fast, too fast, and I wanted to savor the few moments I got with mine while they lasted. Hell, I wasn't supposed to have any of these moments, so each one was a damn gift. Not that I would tell Regina that.

As if on cue, Madam Mayor walked into the diner with a sneer on her face. It was a shame that she always walked around the town with an expression like she had a stick up her ass. I had a feeling she would look a lot better if she just smiled. There was a palpable change in the atmosphere upon her entrance. The volume turned to a hush, faces turned away, and there was a buzz in the air caused by general nervousness. No one wanted to get in her way, and it was clear as day.

"Henry. I was under the impression that you were going to work on your project today," Regina said, but her eyes flicked over to me as she spoke.

"Mom, I thought I didn't it have to have my room cleaned until next week. It's only Wednesday," Henry complained.

"Today is the perfect day to start it. You don't have anything better to do and procrastination is a nasty habit that I won't see you fall into," Regina explained. Again, her eyes would glance at me even as she spoke to her son. It angered me that Henry was being used in a power play against me.

"It's a holiday, Madam Mayor," I butted into the conversation, placing sarcastic emphasis on her ridiculous title. What mayor actually wants to be addressed that way? It was so pretentious. It's not like she was royalty.

Henry looked between the two of us, trying to understand. "As Henry's mother, it is my prerogative to decide what is and is not appropriate behavior on holiday occasions," Regina replied slowly.

"Well, can he at least stay to finish his lemonade?" I asked, desperate at this point. I wanted- needed- some time with him. I would have never thought that I would be fighting for him.

Regina gave me a long and lingering look up and down before gifting me with an answer. "Fine. I expect you home in no less than ten minutes." And with that, the mayor turned heel and exited the diner, thereby returning the atmosphere to normal.

"Alright, kid, drink up," I reminded Henry. He took a long sip as Emma watched, thinking about just how much she wanted to slap Regina. It would be wonderful, mostly just to take note of her facial expression afterward. Perhaps it would even leave a mark. That would just be…

Right. I'm here for Henry, not to fantasize about getting physical with Regina. Okay, that sounded wrong, even in my head. Focus. I did focus, and an idea came to me.

"I really wanted to spend the day with you, but I've got something even better," I informed Henry. The kid's whole demeanor seemed to brighten and his head perked up.

"What?" he asked eagerly.

"There's going to be some fireworks tonight at eight. We can watch them together," I replied. Henry gave me a grin and put down his emptied lemonade glass, embracing me in a tight hug. I was surprised, but I pat him on the back in response. When he released me, I saw his big grin before he stood up.

"I'll see you tonight!" he said before bouncing out the door of the diner. I smiled to no one but myself and shook my head, glad that I could see him looking so happy. He was a strong kid, even when his mom made him work on cleaning his room on a holiday and assigned him "projects" over the summer.

I sighed and put down some money for the lemonade. Henry, in his rush, had forgotten to ask for money, and Regina probably couldn't see past the fact that I was within twenty feet of her son. Sometimes I wonder if she's just being territorial. Like a bitch. Oh, that is kinda fitting when I think about it that way. She could anger me like no one else, and I'd dealt with some major scumbags with my profession- guys trying to cheat their wives out of money, parents getting loans to support their crack addictions, and worse. People would do a lot of reckless things whenever there was love or desperation involved, especially any sort of combination.

But Regina… she didn't have any reason to be desperate and she certainly wasn't in love that I could see, but she still did things I couldn't comprehend, like trying to keep me away from Henry and destroying his dreams. Maybe she made me so angry because I was used to reading people's intentions loud and clear but hers were so much more guarded. Unreadable. Infuriating.

I left the diner and trudged back home, partially in retreat, but with a slight smile at the thought that I might get a little victory tonight.

* * *

**A/N: I will be switching the POV between Emma and Regina every other chapter most likely, though it may switch within the chapter at times. Please review to let me know what you think! There will be Swan Queen eventually.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Regina's POV**

I glanced at the clock to see that Henry still had another five minutes to get home in my given ten minute timeframe. I sat waiting at my desk, fingers tapping out the seconds on the hard feeling of the wood beneath my fingers. In another lifetime I might run my hand along the grain to learn by touch what kind of tree it was made of, where it had grown, how old it was… but this was not that life. In that life my power was so much easier to see, though these days my power was just as easy to use. I could walk into a room and have immediate control over everyone in there. Well, except for Rumpelstiltskin, of course.

And these days, Emma Swan.

She would not bow to my power, would not give in to my command. That, to speak plainly, quite irritated me. I do not know where she came from, who she could possibly be from the previous world, or how she had lived outside of Storybrooke for 28 years. She did not fit in with my meticulously planned town, and like many anomalies, I would prefer if she were eradicated.

Unfortunately, she has strong ties to Henry. Henry seems to believe that just because she essentially donated her genetic material to him makes the two of them more attached than someone who has raised him since he was a baby. Nurture, not nature, is what makes us who we are. Why else would we ever change?

Just as the clocked ticked to signal that Henry's ten allotted minutes were up, I heard the door open.

"Hi, mom, I'll go work on my room now," Henry said. There was no joyful greeting for me. That was reserved for Emma. Though I suppose, looking back, I did not place much value on mushy emotions with him growing up. I saw no need for it. Emotions like that only dull the brain, making it more sluggish in its response time.

"Very well. I will see you at 12:30 for lunch," I said in response. What else was there to say? Henry knew what he was supposed to do for the day, and that was all there was.

My mind turned back to Emma. She'd been attempting to change the way things were done, and I just simply could not have that happen. She brought instability, and like a broken chair, unstable things needed to be fixed. Fortunately, I knew someone who had a way of fixing things that were otherwise… complicated.

I grabbed my car keys out of my desk and headed out to my car, driving toward what I hoped would be a solution to my blonde problem.

* * *

A little bell rung as I pushed open the door to Mr. Gold's shop. As it almost always was, no one was inside but the very man I was looking for.

"Ah, Mayor Mills, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he greeted her while wiping down a silver dagger. It wasn't _the _dagger, of course, but it still seemed to emanate power.

"I have put up with that woman for too long. We need a solution," I sighed.

He set the dagger down. "By 'that woman' I assume you mean Miss Swan. I'm curious- as you say, you've put up with her for months now. Why the sudden need to be rid of her?"

"Do I need a reason?" I snapped. Rumpelstiltskin was a man who got things done, not someone that I needed to explain myself to. Besides, I was not entirely certain why I had put up with Miss Swan for so long only to now change my mind and go to the sometimes insufferable Mr. Gold for a solution. I swear, between the two of them, I have enough stress and worry for an entire kingdom.

The man across from me gave me one of his traditional devilish smiles, the kind that lets a person know he knows something they do not. I began to regret coming to him for help at all.

"Well, dearie, you have in the past sated my curiosity in the hopes that knowing will motivate me. Alas, times do change. Which brings us to why we're here, now doesn't it?" I want to shake him by the shoulders and tell him to get on with it. "Miss Swan is disrupting your perfectly enjoyable curse. I can not simply erase her from the storybook, as it were. I also can not promise you her departure. What I can offer you is the chance to meet at a vulnerable time, a time when those vulnerabilities that are exposed could grant you a glance inside her head."

I considered what he was saying. There were enough words to make it sound pleasant, but it sounded like a lot of doublespeak to me. There were no guarantees, and no assurances.

"What do you want in return?" I asked. I had not yet accepted, and knowing the price of the deal might give me an indication as to how good the deal really was. A manipulative man he might be, but Rumpelstiltskin always asked a fair price and upheld his bargains.

"I ask only that, if the time comes, you allow me to talk to your boy, no topics off-limits," he responded, placing one hand, palm up, to the side of him. It was an offer, and I contemplated it.

"Fine. But your conversation can only last ten minutes. I don't want you twisting the deal into kidnapping my son," I said. As soon as I'd said the first word, a contract appeared in Rumpelstiltskin's open palm from the top drawer of his desk. He offered it to me and I signed, already knowing what words were written there.

He made that irksome giggle of his before folding up the contract and placing it in a drawer behind his counter. "It's a shame I can't make it appear at will anymore, or make it disappear in a poof. Magic has become something to be savored now, yes?"

I raised my head to him in a slight nod. "When, exactly, will I get a glance into Miss Swan's insecurities?" I asked.

"Oh, that one's easy. I believe she will be attending the fireworks tonight." I thought about that momentarily before leaving the shop.

* * *

When I arrived home, I started cooking. It was quarter to twelve, after all, and lunch needed to be prepared. I made some roasted chicken with a side of mashed potatoes. So it was not a traditional lunchtime meal, more like dinner, but I was in the mood for something satisfying. After all, my last meeting with a certain blonde had left me quite unsatisfied. We had reached a compromise; one that was much more suited to my tastes than hers, but a compromise none the less. I am a woman who likes to win in all situations, and a compromise is not a draw to me- it is a failure.

Henry came down the stairs at precisely 12:30, as per usual. I'd instilled in him a terrific sense of timing, something that I prided myself in and just one more example of how I was much more fit to be a mother than Emma Swan.

We started eating in silence, which was not out of the ordinary, until I broke it with somewhat of an unusual proposition.

"Henry, there are going to be fireworks tonight in the park and I thought we could go." So it may have come out more like a statement than an invitation, but it was still a congenial request.

Henry dropped the fork- with a piece of chicken still attached- to his plate unexpectedly. I was about to scold him for treating the china roughly, but he spoke.

"I-I was going to go with Emma," he admitted. I closed my eyes in an extended blink. Damn that woman for getting in my way yet again. There were several ways that flashed through my brain of systematically ridding her from my life, but most of them would raise high amounts of suspicion in this carefully crafted small world of mine.

My eyelids raised and I took in the sight of Henry, his fork still laying abandoned on his plate. "Well, why don't we all go together?" I offered. Henry's eyes grew large in shock, and I felt a similar feeling bubbling within me. I could not stand that woman alone, and even less when she tried to spend time with my son. Here I was offering both.

But, of course, I had ulterior motives. Mr. Gold assured me that tonight would be a night for discovering secrets and vulnerabilities.

* * *

**A/N: I hope I did alright with Regina's perspective. I'd planned on getting this done sooner, but found it hard to adjust to her tone. Please drop a quick comment to give any advice or general reviews. Thanks for reading!**


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